Fresh Start

If you had 2018 to do over again, would you do anything different? 

 If you are anything like me, you already have a laundry list of items that are in need of a change in 2019. I think all of us have something we would like to change because we have all failed. We can work hard and still fail. Our kids can study really hard for a test and still fail. We all fail, we all make mistakes, we all give up too soon, and we all have setbacks.

If at first you don't succeed welcome to the human race. If you're an educator you have used microsoft products A LOT. Bill Gates founded microsoft. It doesn't always work, especially first editions. Bill Gates created windows 1.1. It was awful! Then he made windows 2.0, it was still horrible. Eventually he came out with windows 3.1 and it made him a billionaire. 

 There is a man who graduated 42 out of 43. 42 out of 43. He was number 42. He went on to conquer Europe. His name is Napoleon. 

 Making mistakes is completely natural. Working hard and still not meeting your goal is natural. Yoda said it best, "the best teacher failure is." Bad things are going to happen to you. The more you regret it the more we will repeat it. Whatever you focus on is what you are going to reproduce. AND the best part about the New Year is getting a fresh start. I've been told that the biggest obstacle in meeting my goals is myself. I don't know about you, but I am ready to stop making excuses. "I don't have time to work out." "I'm too exhausted to dot my i's and cross my t's." My pastor this weekend said that "no one can ruin your life without your permission." Now, my life is far from "ruin," but I am still my biggest enemy. I don't choose what I go through, but I choose how I go through it. Do you ever think to yourself why am I doing this? Why did I do that? We all make bad decisions. Don't judge a man by a moment. There is no triumph without falls. There is no surgery without scars. 

 Here are my goals for 2019. Why am I telling you about them? A goal is just a dream until you write it down. Only 5% of American's write down goals. I'm not going to reach all my goals, but that isn't going to stop me from setting goals. My word for 2019 is intentional. 

 1. PERSONAL GOAL - Make an effort to put in time for myself. I'm going to schedule that hair appointment, read, and work out. I spent hours in the evening last year scrolling on my phone or watching mindless television. It didn't make me feel better and it always left me exhausted. Towards the end of last year, I started waking up early and working out. Not because I want to lose weight or want to look bikini ready. BUT because I was making time for myself. The results so far, I feel amazing. I get more compliments at work. I have energy in the evening. I am not pledging to work out seven days a week. I am just choosing to make time for myself. I started reading every evening instead of watching television. I fall in love every week with a new adventure. I am going to be intentional about how I spend my time. 

 2. PROFESSIONAL GOAL - I started my business, Simply Acute Ideas, last January. My goal was to make the TPT fee back. I exceeded my goal in the month of January. I started a strong instagram presence with the goal of posting daily and reaching thousands of followers. That goal was empty and pointless. I posted junk, just to post something. This year my goal is to be intentional about what I create and what I post. My plan is to create a blog series that will show how I teach concepts in the classroom. I also plan to post at least twice a week during the school year with content that I truly care about. I want to show the good, the bad, and the UGLY. That's what teacher life is all about. As for my followers, I just want to make a connection. I do not care if I have one follower or a hundred. I just want to make connections. 

"Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." -Proverbs 29:25